Systems and methods for shielded inductive devices

ABSTRACT

In an embodiment, a circuit includes: a transformer defining an inductive footprint within a first layer; a grounded shield bounded by the inductive footprint within a second layer separate from the first layer; and a circuit component bounded by the inductive footprint within a third layer separate from the second layer, wherein: the circuit component is coupled with the transformer through the second layer, and the third layer is separated from the first layer by the second layer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/908,237 filed Jun. 22, 2020 which is a division of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/964,476 filed Apr. 27, 2018 which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/624,003, filed onJan. 30, 2018, each of which are incorporated by reference herein intheir entireties.

BACKGROUND

Mobile devices, such as smart phones, tablets, Internet of Things (IoT),etc., may include an integrated circuit with various circuit componentsconnected via a plurality of interconnects, such as traces, pads, and/orvias. An example of a circuit component may include an inductor.However, inductors may take up a relatively greater amount of realestate on the integrated circuit than other circuit components, such asvoltage dividers, buffers, resistors, transistors, capacitors, or otheractive or passive devices. Accordingly, producing integrated circuitswith a compact form factor, while at the same time meeting the needsand/or requirements of mobile devices, may be more difficult wheninductors are utilized as part of an integrated circuit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It isnoted that various features are not necessarily drawn to scale. In fact,the dimensions and geometries of the various features may be arbitrarilyincreased or reduced for clarity of discussion.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of various layers of an integrated circuitwith shielded inductive devices as part of an all-digital phase lockloop (ADPLL), in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2A is an illustration of an oscillator inductive component and anamplifier inductive component relative to other non-inductive componentsof respective shielded inductive devices, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 2B is an illustration of an oscillator inductive component and anamplifier inductive component relative to other non-inductive componentsof respective shielded inductive devices of an ADPLL, in accordance withsome embodiments.

FIG. 3A is an illustration of an oscillator inductive component relativeto other non-inductive components of an oscillator shielded inductivedevice, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3B is an illustration of an amplifier inductive component relativeto other non-inductive components of an amplifier shielded inductivedevice, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of a transformer that may be implemented ina shielded inductive device, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5A is a plot of Q factor versus frequency for an oscillator with ashielded inductive device, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5B is a plot of Q factor versus frequency for an amplifier with ashielded inductive device, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a shielded inductive device process, inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates various electronic devices that may be integratedwith a shielded inductive device, in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The following disclosure describes various exemplary embodiments forimplementing different features of the subject matter. Specific examplesof components and arrangements are described below to simplify thepresent disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are notintended to be limiting. For example, it will be understood that when anelement is referred to as being “connected to” or “coupled to” anotherelement, it may be directly connected to or coupled to the otherelement, or one or more intervening elements may be present.

In addition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/orletters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose ofsimplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationshipbetween the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

Further, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,”“above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The spatiallyrelative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of thedevice in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted inthe figures. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degreesor at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors usedherein may likewise be interpreted accordingly.

The present disclosure provides various embodiments of shieldedinductive devices. A shielded inductive device may include an inductivecircuit component that is separated from non-inductive circuitcomponents by a grounded shield. Each of the grounded shield,non-inductive circuit component(s), and the inductive circuit componentmay be laterally bound within an inductive footprint of the inductivecircuit component.

As introduced above, a circuit component may represent any discretecomponent of a circuit, such as inductors, transformers, voltagedividers, buffers, resistors, transistors, capacitors, and the like. Theinductive circuit component may be referred to as an inductive componentand the non-inductive circuit components may be referred to asnon-inductive components for brevity. The inductive component may be acircuit component of at least one inductor, such as an inductor or atransformer. Likewise, the non-inductive component may include circuitcomponents other than an inductor. The inductive component may alsodefine an inductive footprint, which is a lateral area or extension ofthe inductive component. A lateral extension may refer to a direction orextension that is orthogonal to a vertical extension on which the numberof layers (e.g., metallization layers) of an integrated circuit, ordevice, may be increased. Both the inductive shield and thenon-inductive components of the shielded inductive device may be boundedwithin the inductive footprint (e.g., surrounded laterally by theextremities of the inductive footprint). In certain embodiments, allnon-inductive components that connect or couple directly with theinductive component may be bounded within the inductive footprint.

Accordingly, a shielded inductive device may occupy a small footprint byhaving all of the constituent circuit components bounded by theinductive footprint of the inductive component. As noted above, theinductive component may be the largest or among the largest circuitcomponent by lateral area. However, traditional circuit design may havenon-inductive components laterally separated from such an inductivecomponent in order to avoid crosstalk or interference from the variouscircuit components of a device with the inductive component. However,shielded inductive devices may avoid the cross talk or interference fromnon-inductive components while enjoying a reduced lateral footprint,instead of a traditionally expanded lateral footprint.

These shielded inductive devices may be utilized in any device that mayinclude an inductive component (e.g., an inductor or transformer), suchas a frequency synthesizer, phase lock loop, oscillator, amplifier, andthe like. Also, such shielded inductive devices may perform as well asor similar to non-shielded inductive devices (e.g., devices with aninductive component but without a grounded shield and not bound withinan inductive footprint), as measured by quality factor versusoperational frequency. However, shielded inductive devices would have amuch smaller fabrication area due to being constrained within theinductive footprint.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of various layers of an integrated circuitwith shielded inductive devices as part of an all-digital phase lockloop (ADPLL) 102, in accordance with some embodiments. ADPLLs areconventional and will not be discussed in detail. However, the ADPLL 102may include a reference (REF) 104, a time to digital converter (TDC)106, a digital core 108, a digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) 110(which, in certain embodiments, includes a DCO buffer 112 and a DCOdivider (FDIV) 114), a driver (LO Driver) 116, and a digital poweramplifier (DPA) 118. The DPA 118 may be coupled with an outputtransmitter 120. The DCO 110 may be implemented as a shielded inductivedevice to include a DCO inductive component 122 separated from thenon-inductive components by a DCO grounded shield 124. Similarly, theDPA 118 may be implemented as a shielded inductive device to include aDPA inductive component 126 separated from the non-inductive componentsof the DPA by a DPA grounded shield 128. Each of the DCO inductivecomponent 122 and the DPA inductive component 126 may be transformers,formed of multiple inductors. Also, although the DCO grounded shield 124and the DPA grounded shield 128 may be illustrated with open spacesbetween parts of grounded conductive material, in certain embodiments agrounded shield may be entirely or substantially simply connected (e.g.,without holes or open spaces between parts of grounded conductivematerial). A simply connected topological space may be without any holesthat pass all the way through the simply connected topological space.

Each of the parts of the ADPLL 102 may be implemented on an integratedcircuit in metallization layers. For example, non-inductive componentsmay be implemented within the first to fifth metallization layer 130with copper (Cu). A baseband routing layer may be implemented in thesixth metallization layer 132 with copper (Cu). The DPA grounded shield128 and the DCO grounded shield 124 may be implemented in the seventhmetallization layer 134 with copper (Cu). An eighth metallization layer136 with copper (Cu) may be substantially empty for the purposes of theADPLL 102. The ninth metallization layer 138 may be implemented with theDCO inductive component 122 and the DPA inductive component 126. Anuppermost aluminum layer (AP) 140 may be above the ninth metallizationlayer 138. Each of the first to seventh metallization layers may havesubstantially uniform thickness. However, the eighth metallization layer136 may be 8-12 (e.g., 9.5) times thicker, the ninth metallization layer138 may be 30-50 (e.g., 40) times thicker and the AP layer 140 may be20-40 (e.g., 31) times thicker than each of the first to seventhmetallization layers.

FIG. 2A is an illustration of an oscillator inductive component 202 andan amplifier inductive component 204 relative to other non-inductivecomponents of respective shielded inductive devices 206, 208, inaccordance with some embodiments. The respective shielded inductivedevices 206, 208 may be part of an ADPLL 209, discussed further above.Also, the respective inductive components may be transformers for eachrespective shielded inductive device 206, 208. For example, theoscillator inductive component 202 may be part of an oscillator shieldedinductive device 206 (e.g., an oscillator that is also a shieldedinductive device) and the amplifier inductive component 204 may be partof an amplifier shielded inductive device 208 (e.g., an amplifier thatis also a shielded inductive device).

Furthermore, respective non-inductive components of each shieldedinductive device 206, 208 may be bound within an inductive footprint ofeach respective inductive component 202, 204. For example, thenon-inductive components for the oscillator shielded inductive device206 may include two core capacitors 210A, 210B and a combined buffer anddivider 212. Also, the non-inductive components for the amplifiershielded inductive device 208 may include a primary capacitor 214 and asecondary capacitor 216. The various non-inductive components may bewithin the inductive footprint defined by their respective inductivecomponents. The inductive footprint may be defined by the lateral extentof each respective inductive component. Stated another way, theinductive footprint of each respective inductive component 202, 204 maybe the octagonal shape formed by the outer lateral bounds of eachrespective inductive component 202, 204. In certain embodiments, thevarious non-inductive components may be within the inductive footprintdefined by their respective inductive components and within the physicalwindings of their respective inductive components. For example, ports220 at each respective inductive components may face inward from thephysical windings to face and interface with each non-inductivecomponent.

The physical structure of the respective inductive components may beformed within and among various metallization layers, as discussedabove. For example, the oscillator inductive component 202 and theamplifier inductive component 204 may be substantially formed within asingle metallization layer, with particular parts of the windings atother layers to effectuate the winding structure. For example, a mainwinding structure 230 may refer to a substantial part of either theoscillator inductive component 202 and/or the amplifier inductivecomponent 204. The main winding structure may be within a singlemetallization layer, termed as a primary metallization layer 231A. Eachof the oscillator inductive component 202 and the amplifier inductivecomponent 204 may be a transformer of multiple inductors. Accordingly,for each of the oscillator inductive component 202 and the amplifierinductive component 204, a first winding of a first inductor 232 may beconnected to a second winding of the first inductor 232 utilizingtransition windings at a secondary metallization layer 231B and/or atertiary metallization layer 231C. Each of the primary metallizationlayer 231A, secondary metallization layer 231B and the tertiarymetallization layer 231C may be different metallization layers. Thefirst inductor 232 may generally surround a second inductor 234 allwithin the primary metallization layer 231A. In certain embodiments, theprimary metallization layer 231A may be the ninth metallization layer(discussed above in connection with FIG. 1 ) and the secondarymetallization layer 231B may be the AP layer (discussed above inconnection with FIG. 1 ) and the tertiary metallization layer 231C maybe the eighth metallization layer (discussed above in connection withFIG. 1 ).

In various embodiments, the physical structure of the respectiveinductive components may be formed within and among variousredistribution metallization layers of an integrate fan out (InFO)package. InFO packages are conventional and will not be discussed indetail herein. The InFo packages may include a first redistributionlayer (RDL1), a second redistribution layer (RDL2), and a thirdredistribution layer (RDL3). Accordingly, as one example, the primarymetallization layer 231A may be the RDL1 and the secondary metallizationlayer 231B may be the RDL2 and the tertiary metallization layer 231C maybe the RDL3. As another example, the primary metallization layer 231Amay be the RDL3 and the secondary metallization layer 231B may be theRDL2 and the tertiary metallization layer 231C may be the RDL1.

FIG. 2B is an illustration of an oscillator inductive component 252 andan amplifier inductive component 254 relative to other non-inductivecomponents of respective shielded inductive devices 256, 258 of an ADPLL260, in accordance with some embodiments. Various non-inductivecomponents such as a buffer and divider may be within the inductivefootprint of an inductive component 252, 254. For example, a buffer anddivider 262 may be within an inductive footprint of the oscillatorinductive component 252. However, certain non-inductive components ofthe ADPLL 260 that includes the respective shielded inductive devices256, 258 may be outside of the inductive footprint of an inductivecomponent 252, 254. For example, the digital core of the ADPLL 264 maybe outside of the inductive the inductive footprint of an inductivecomponent 252, 254.

FIG. 3A is an illustration of an oscillator inductive component 302relative to other non-inductive components of an oscillator shieldedinductive device 306, in accordance with some embodiments. Respectivenon-inductive components of the oscillator shielded inductive device306, may be bound within an inductive footprint the oscillator inductivecomponent 302. For example, the non-inductive components for theoscillator shielded inductive device 306 may include two core capacitors310A, 310B and a combined buffer and divider 312. The variousnon-inductive components may be within the inductive footprint definedby the oscillator inductive component 302 (e.g., the lateral extent ofthe oscillator inductive component 302). In certain embodiments, thevarious non-inductive components may be within the inductive footprintdefined by the oscillator inductive component 302 and within thephysical windings of the oscillator inductive component 302. Forexample, ports 320 at the oscillator inductive component 302 may faceinward from the physical windings to face and interface with eachnon-inductive component.

The physical structure of the oscillator inductive component 302 may beformed within and among various metallization layers, as discussedabove. For example, the oscillator inductive component 302 may besubstantially formed within a single metallization layer, withparticular parts of the windings at other layers to effectuate thewinding structure. For example, a main winding structure 330 may referto a substantial part the oscillator inductive component 302. The mainwinding structure may be within a single metallization layer that willbe referred to as a primary metallization layer 331A. Also, theoscillator inductive component 302 may be a transformer of multipleinductors. Accordingly, for the oscillator inductive component 302, afirst winding of a first inductor 332 of a main winding structure may beconnected to a second winding of the first inductor 332 utilizingtransition windings at a secondary metallization layer 331B and/or atertiary metallization layer 331C. The primary metallization layer 331A,secondary metallization layer 331B and the tertiary metallization layer331C may be different metallization layers. Also, the first inductor 332may generally surround a second inductor 334 within the primarymetallization layer 331A. In certain embodiments, the primarymetallization layer 331A may be the ninth metallization layer (discussedabove in connection with FIG. 1 ) and the secondary metallization layer331B may be the AP layer (discussed above in connection with FIG. 1 )and the tertiary metallization layer 331C may be the eighthmetallization layer (discussed above in connection with FIG. 1 ).

In various embodiments, the physical structure of the respectiveinductive components may be formed within and among variousredistribution metallization layers of an integrate fan out (InFO)package. The InFo packages may include a first redistribution layer(RDL1), a second redistribution layer (RDL2), and a third redistributionlayer (RDL3). Accordingly, as one example, the primary metallizationlayer 331A may be the RDL1 and the secondary metallization layer 331Bmay be the RDL2 and the tertiary metallization layer 331C may be theRDL2. As another example, the primary metallization layer 331A may bethe RDL3 and the secondary metallization layer 331B may be the RDL2 andthe tertiary metallization layer 331C may be the RDL1.

FIG. 3B is an illustration of an amplifier inductive component 354relative to other non-inductive components of an amplifier shieldedinductive device 358, in accordance with some embodiments. Respectivenon-inductive components of the amplifier shielded inductive device 358,may be bound within an inductive footprint the amplifier inductivecomponent 354. For example, the non-inductive components for theamplifier shielded inductive device 358 may include a primary capacitor364 and a secondary capacitor 366. The various non-inductive componentsmay be within the inductive footprint defined by the amplifier inductivecomponent 354 (e.g., the lateral extent of the amplifier inductivecomponent 354). In certain embodiments, the various non-inductivecomponents may be within the inductive footprint defined by theamplifier inductive component 354 and within the physical windings ofthe amplifier inductive component 354. For example, ports 370 at theamplifier inductive component 354 may face inward from the physicalwindings to face and interface with the non-inductive components.

The physical structure of the amplifier inductive component 354 may beformed within and among various metallization layers, as discussedabove. For example, the amplifier inductive component 354 may besubstantially formed within a single metallization layer, withparticular parts of the windings at other layers to effectuate thewinding structure. For example, a main winding structure 380 may referto a substantial part the amplifier inductive component 354. The mainwinding structure may be within a single metallization layer, termed asa primary metallization layer 381A. Also, the amplifier inductivecomponent 354 may be a transformer of multiple inductors. Accordingly,for the amplifier inductive component 354, a first winding of a firstinductor 382 of a main winding structure may be connected to a secondwinding of the first inductor 382 utilizing transition windings at asecondary metallization layer 381B and/or a tertiary metallization layer381C. The primary metallization layer 381A, secondary metallizationlayer 381B and the tertiary metallization layer 381C may be differentmetallization layers. Also, the first inductor 382 may generallysurround a second inductor 384 within the primary metallization layer381A. In certain embodiments, the primary metallization layer 381A maybe the ninth metallization layer (discussed above in connection withFIG. 1 ) and the secondary metallization layer 381B may be the AP layer(discussed above in connection with FIG. 1 ) and the tertiarymetallization layer 381C may be the eighth metallization layer(discussed above in connection with FIG. 1 ).

In various embodiments, the physical structure of the respectiveinductive components may be formed within and among variousredistribution metallization layers of an integrate fan out (InFO)package. The InFo packages may include a first redistribution layer(RDL1), a second redistribution layer (RDL2), and a third redistributionlayer (RDL3). Accordingly, as one example, the primary metallizationlayer 381A may be the RDL1 and the secondary metallization layer 381Bmay be the RDL2 and the tertiary metallization layer 381C may be theRDL3. As another example, the primary metallization layer 381A may bethe RDL3 and the secondary metallization layer 381B may be the RDL2 andthe tertiary metallization layer 381C may be the RDL1.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of a transformer 400 that may be implementedin a shielded inductive device, in accordance with some embodiments. Thetransformer 400 may include a primary inductor (L_(P)) 402A and asecondary inductor (L_(S)) 404A. Resistance and capacitance associatedwith the primary inductor (L_(P)) 402A may be represented as a primaryresistor (r_(P)) 402B and a primary capacitor (C_(P)) 402C connected inparallel with the primary inductor (L_(P)) 402A and primary resistor(r_(P)) 402B. Similarly, resistance and capacitance associated with thesecondary inductor (L_(S)) 404A may be represented as a secondaryresistor (r_(S)) 404B and a secondary capacitor (C_(S)) 404C connectedin parallel with the secondary inductor (L_(S)) 404A and the secondaryresistor (r_(S)) 404B. A first primary port (P₁) 406 may be coupled withthe primary inductor (L_(P)) 402A and the primary capacitor (C_(P))402C. A second primary port (P₂) 408 may be coupled with the primaryresistor (r_(P)) 402B and the primary capacitor (C_(P)) 402C. A firstsecondary port (S₁) 410 may be coupled with the secondary inductor(L_(S)) 404A and the secondary capacitor (C_(S)) 404C. A secondsecondary port (S₂) 412 may be coupled with the secondary resistor(r_(S)) 404B and the secondary capacitor (C_(S)) 404C.

Certain aspects of FIG. 4 may be implemented within the context of themetallization layers of FIG. 1 . Accordingly, certain aspects of FIG. 4will now be discussed with reference to the metallization layers of FIG.1 . Due to the addition of the grounded shield 414, also referred to aspower ground shielding (PGS) 414, capacitance across the layers Cox(discussed above in connection with FIG. 1 ) may be divided intocapacitance across the primary components between metallization layer 7and metallization layer 9 and between metallization layer 1 andmetallization layer 7 (with the metallization layers discussed above inconnection with FIG. 1 ). This may be expressed at the first primaryport (P₁) 406 and the second primary port (P₂) 408 as capacitor(C_(ox),Pm₇₉) 416A and capacitor (C_(ox),Pm₁₇) 416B. Also, this may beexpressed at the first secondary port (S₁) 410 and the second secondaryport (S₂) 412 as capacitor (C_(ox),Sm₇₉) 418A and (C_(ox),Sm₁₇) 418B.

The substrate below the first metallization layer (discussed above inconnection with FIG. 1 ) may be represented in interaction with thecapacitor (C_(ox),Pm₁₇) 418B as an amount of resistance, represented byresistor (R_(SUB,P)) 420A associated with the primary inductor (L_(P))402A, and resistor (R_(SUB,S)) 420B associated with the secondaryinductor (L_(S)) 404A. Also, the substrate below the first metallizationlayer (discussed above in connection with FIG. 1 ) may be represented ininteraction with the capacitor (C_(ox),Pm₁₇) 418B as an amount ofcapacitance, represented by capacitor (C_(SUB,P)) 422A in parallel withthe resistor (R_(SUB,P)) 420A associated with the primary inductor (Lp)402A and capacitor (C_(SUB,S)) 422B in parallel with resistor(R_(SUB,S)) 420B associated with the secondary inductor (L_(S)) 404A.

FIG. 5A is a plot of quality factor (e.g., Q-factor) versus frequencyfor an oscillator with a shielded inductive device, in accordance withsome embodiments. The shielded inductive device is a transformer and theoscillator is a digitally controlled oscillator. Also, the notation “w/oPGS” indicates a device with a transformer without a grounded shield and“w/I PGS” indicates a shielded inductive device with a grounded shield.As noted in FIG. 5A, the quality factors (e.g., Q-Factor) of theoscillator is generally consistent either with or without a groundedshield. Therefore, the utilization of a grounded shield does notsignificantly detriment the Q-Factor of a shielded inductive device.

FIG. 5B is a plot of quality factor (e.g., Q-factor) versus frequencyfor an amplifier with a shielded inductive device, in accordance withsome embodiments. The shielded inductive device is a transformer and theamplifier is a digital power amplifier. Also, the notation “w/o PGS”indicates a device with a transformer without a grounded shield and “w/IPGS” indicates a shielded inductive device with a grounded shield. Asnoted in FIG. 5A, the quality factor (e.g., Q-Factor) of the amplifieris generally consistent either with or without a grounded shield.Therefore, the utilization of a grounded shield does not significantlydetriment the Q-Factor of a shielded inductive device.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a shielded inductive device process 600, inaccordance with some embodiments. It is noted that the process 600 ismerely an example, and is not intended to limit the present disclosure.Accordingly, it is understood that additional operations may be providedbefore, during, and after the process 600 of FIG. 6 , certain operationsmay be omitted, certain operations may be performed concurrently withother operations, and that some other operations may only be brieflydescribed herein.

At operation 602, non-inductive components may be formed within aninductive footprint. The inductive footprint may be a predeterminedlateral area within which the inductive device of operation 606,discussed below, is to occupy. Returning to operation 602, thenon-inductive components, and each of the inductive components and thegrounded shield referenced below, may be formed within a plurality ofmetallization layers. These metallization layers may be sequentiallyformed such that the layers rest on each other. Various techniques forthe formation of metallization layers and their constituent circuitcomponents may be conventional and will not be discussed in detailherein for brevity. In certain embodiments, as discussed in certainexamples above, the metallization layers and non-inductive componentsmay be formed above a substrate on which the metallization layers areformed.

At operation 604 a grounded shield may be formed within the inductivefootprint. The grounded shield may be formed in a layer between thenon-inductive components and the inductive component to be formed inoperation 606. Returning to operation 604, the grounded shield may be alayer of grounded conductive material laterally bound by thepredetermined inductive footprint. The grounded shield may shield theinductive component from interference from the various non-inductivecomponents of the shielded inductive device formed by process 600. Themetallization layer that includes the grounded shield may be differentthan the layers that include the non-inductive components. For example,the metallization layer that includes the grounded shield may be atop orformed above the metallization layers that include the non-inductivecomponents.

In operation 606, the inductive component may be formed within thepredetermined inductive footprint. The inductive component may be acircuit component that includes one or more inductors. For example, theinductive component may be a transformer or a single inductor. Theinductive component may structurally include at least one winding andmay be formed with an octagonal cross section, or extend laterally withan octagonal shape. The metallization layer that includes the inductivecomponent may be different than the layers that include thenon-inductive components and the grounded shield. For example, themetallization layer that includes the inductive component may be atop orformed above the metallization layers that include the grounded shield.

In operation 608, signals may be transmitted across the metallizationlayer with the grounded shield. As introduced above, a shieldedinductive device may include an inductive component separated fromnon-inductive components by a grounded shield, all within the inductivefootprint defined by the inductive component. By having the variouscircuit components of the device within the inductive footprint, routingdistance between the circuit components and device size may bedecreased. Also, by routing across the layer that includes the groundedshield, the quality factor of the inductive component may be maintainedand comparable with quality factors of devices with inductive componentsand non-inductive components not within an inductive footprint and/orseparated by a grounded shield.

FIG. 7 illustrates various electronic devices that may be integratedwith a shielded inductive device, in accordance with some embodiments.For example, a mobile phone device 702, a laptop computer device 704, afixed location terminal device 706, and a wearable device 708 mayinclude a shielded inductive device 710 as described herein. The devices702, 704, 706, 708 illustrated in FIG. 7A are merely exemplary. Also,each electronic device may implement shielded inductive devices invarious manners as desired for different applications in numerousembodiments. For example, the mobile phone device 702, laptop computerdevice 704, wearable device 708, and/or fixed location terminal device706 may include a cellular radio transceiver that may facilitate thesending and receiving of signals using an antenna. Such a transceivermay include, for example, an oscillator or an amplifier that may be usedin function generators, phase locked loops, frequency synthesizers,and/or clock generators. Also, other electronic devices may also featurethe shielded inductive device 710 including, but not limited to, a groupof devices (e.g., electronic devices) that includes mobile devices,hand-held personal communication systems (PCS) units, portable dataunits such as personal digital assistants, global positioning system(GPS) enabled devices, navigation devices, set top boxes, music players,video players, entertainment units, fixed location data units such asmeter reading equipment, communications devices, smartphones, tabletcomputers, computers, wearable devices, servers, routers, electronicdevices implemented in automotive vehicles (e.g., autonomous vehicles),or any other device that stores or retrieves data or computerinstructions, or any combination thereof.

In an embodiment, a circuit includes: a transformer defining aninductive footprint within a first layer; a grounded shield bounded bythe inductive footprint within a second layer separate from the firstlayer; and a circuit component bounded by the inductive footprint withina third layer separate from the second layer, wherein: the circuitcomponent is coupled with the transformer through the second layer, andthe third layer is separated from the first layer by the second layer.

In another embodiment, a circuit includes: an inductor defining aninductive footprint within a first layer; a grounded shield bounded bythe inductive footprint within a second layer separate from the firstlayer; and a circuit component bounded by the inductive footprint withina third layer separate from the second layer, wherein: the circuitcomponent is coupled with the inductor through the second layer, and thethird layer is separated from the first layer by the second layer.

In another embodiment, a method includes: forming a first layer with acircuit component bound within an inductive footprint; forming a secondlayer with a grounded shield bounded by the inductive footprint, thesecond layer separate from the first layer; and forming a third layerwith an inductor that defines the inductive footprint, the third layerseparated from the first layer via the second layer, wherein the circuitcomponent is coupled with the inductor through the second layer.

The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that thoseordinary skilled in the art may better understand the aspects of thepresent disclosure. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that theymay readily use the present disclosure as a basis for designing ormodifying other processes and structures for carrying out the samepurposes and/or achieving the same advantages of the embodimentsintroduced herein. Those skilled in the art should also realize thatsuch equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present disclosure, and that they may make various changes,substitutions, and alterations herein without departing from the spiritand scope of the present disclosure.

In this document, the term “module” as used herein, refers to software,firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements for performingthe associated functions described herein. Additionally, for purpose ofdiscussion, the various modules are described as discrete modules;however, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, twoor more modules may be combined to form a single module that performsthe associated functions according embodiments of the invention.

A person of ordinary skill in the art would further appreciate that anyof the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, processors, means,circuits, methods and functions described in connection with the aspectsdisclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., adigital implementation, an analog implementation, or a combination ofthe two), firmware, various forms of program or design codeincorporating instructions (which can be referred to herein, forconvenience, as “software” or a “software module), or any combination ofthese techniques. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability ofhardware, firmware and software, various illustrative components,blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generallyin terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality isimplemented as hardware, firmware or software, or a combination of thesetechniques, depends upon the particular application and designconstraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans canimplement the described functionality in various ways for eachparticular application, but such implementation decisions do not cause adeparture from the scope of the present disclosure.

Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would understand thatvarious illustrative logical blocks, modules, devices, components andcircuits described herein can be implemented within or performed by anintegrated circuit (IC) that can include a general purpose processor, adigital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or otherprogrammable logic device, or any combination thereof. The logicalblocks, modules, and circuits can further include antennas and/ortransceivers to communicate with various components within the networkor within the device. A general purpose processor can be amicroprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be anyconventional processor, controller, or state machine. A processor canalso be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., acombination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality ofmicroprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSPcore, or any other suitable configuration to perform the functionsdescribed herein.

Conditional language such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might” or“may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, are otherwise understoodwithin the context as used in general to convey that certain embodimentsinclude, while other embodiments do not include, certain features,elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generallyintended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any wayrequired for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodimentsnecessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input orprompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included orare to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Additionally, persons of skill in the art would be enabled to configurefunctional entities to perform the operations described herein afterreading the present disclosure. The term “configured” as used hereinwith respect to a specified operation or function refers to a system,device, component, circuit, structure, machine, etc. that is physicallyor virtually constructed, programmed and/or arranged to perform thespecified operation or function.

Disjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, or Z,”unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood with thecontext as used in general to present that an item, term, etc., may beeither X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and/or Z).Thus, such disjunctive language is not generally intended to, and shouldnot, imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at leastone of Y, or at least one of Z to each be present.

It should be emphasized that many variations and modifications may bemade to the above-described embodiments, the elements of which are to beunderstood as being among other acceptable examples. All suchmodifications and variations are intended to be included herein withinthe scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: forming a first layer with a circuit component bound within an inductive footprint; forming a second layer with a grounded shield bounded by the inductive footprint, the second layer separate from the first layer; and forming a third layer with an inductor that defines the inductive footprint, the third layer separated from the first layer via the second layer, wherein the circuit component is coupled with the inductor through the second layer, wherein a port of the inductor faces winding structures of the inductor within the inductor, wherein the circuit component comprises a transformer having at least two inductors.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting signals across the second layer between the inductor and the circuit component.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming additional circuit components within the first layer and bound within the inductive footprint.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising transmitting signals across the second layer between the inductor and the additional circuit components.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the inductor and the circuit component are part of a frequency synthesizer.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the circuit component is a frequency synthesizer.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the circuit component is part of an integrated fan out (InFO) package.
 8. A method, comprising: forming an inductor defining an inductive footprint within a first layer; forming a grounded shield laterally bounded by the inductive footprint so as to be surrounded by an outer perimeter of the inductive footprint, wherein the grounded shield is formed within a second layer separate from the first layer; and forming a circuit component laterally bounded by the inductive footprint so as to be surrounded by an outer perimeter of the inductive footprint, wherein the circuit component is formed within a third layer separate from the second layer, wherein a port of the inductor faces winding structures of the inductor within the inductor, and wherein the circuit component comprises a transformer having at least two inductors.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer are metallization layers of an integrated circuit.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the circuit component is a frequency synthesizer.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein the circuit component is an oscillator.
 12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first layer is above the second layer and the third layer.
 13. A method, comprising: forming an inductor defining an inductive footprint within a first layer; forming a grounded shield laterally bounded by the inductive footprint, wherein the grounded shield is formed within a second layer separate from the first layer; and forming a circuit component laterally bounded by the inductive footprint, wherein the circuit component is formed within a third layer separate from the second layer, wherein: the circuit component is coupled with the inductor through the second layer, the third layer is separated from the first layer by the second layer, and the circuit component is laterally surrounded by winding structures of a transformer.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the inductor and the circuit component are part of a frequency synthesizer.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein a port of the inductor faces within winding structures of the inductor.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein the inductor and the circuit component are part of a phase lock loop that comprises an oscillator or an amplifier.
 17. The method of claim 13, wherein the first layer comprises additional circuit components bound within the inductive footprint.
 18. The method of claim 13, wherein the first layer is below the second layer and the third layer.
 19. The method of claim 13, wherein the circuit component is an active device.
 20. The method of claim 13, wherein the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer are metallization layers of an integrated circuit. 